Materials from Europe
Seventeen-year-old Bobby Seed, the devoted but exhausted primary caregiver for his terminally-ill mother and difficult younger brother, finds respite in a support group and good friends, but must face his mother’s impossible choice alone.
When Gerda the blue whale was very small, her mother would sing a beautiful song telling her that if she were ever lost she should look to the stars and they would guide her. Then it’s time for the little whale to leave home. Her adventures take her from the warm waters of the equator to the freezing poles. Along the way she meets clever killer whales, playful penguins, a friendly polar bear and the ancient narwhale. Then one day, the little whale realizes she wants to find somewhere to stay forever. How will she know she’s found the right sea for her? With her mother’s song in her heart, Gerda follows the stars to a place she knows she can call home.
All rabbits love books, except for Henry – he prefers games and adventures. But then he finds one very special book, and when he reads it, someone very special finds him.
One day, a brave knight sets out for the cave of a terrible dragon. Come out and meet your match, you great big beast! the knight announces. But to his dismay, he learns that the dragon has gone on vacation. How can I finish my story? the knight wails. With no dragon, my story is STUCK! Then he discovers the One-Stop Story Shop, which just might be what he needs to finish his tale but not exactly the way he had planned! A thrilling adventure through the magical world of storytelling.
As 14-year-old Ella begins her first day at work she steps into a world of silks, seams, scissors, pins, hems and trimmings. She is a dressmaker, but this is no ordinary sewing workshop. Hers are no ordinary clients. Ella has joined the seamstresses of Birkenau-Auschwitz, as readers may recognise it. Every dress she makes could mean the difference between life and death. And this place is all about survival. Ella seeks refuge from this reality, and from haunting memories, in her work and in the world of fashion and fabrics. She is faced with painful decisions about how far she is prepared to go to survive.
All 12-year-old Marinka wants is a friend. A real friend. Not like her house with chicken legs. Sure, the house can play games like tag and hide-and-seek, but Marinka longs for a human companion. Someone she can talk to and share secrets with.
Emily’s world is shattered after her sister dies and she finds she misses her sister’s teddy bear, Bluey, almost as much as her sister. Then Emily dreams of talking toys who have a message from Bluey, but soon discovers that magic from the toy world is spilling out into the real world with disastrous consequences. Emily must decide whether finding Bluey is worth risking the lives of those she loves.
Fionn Boyle, terrified of the sea, must spend the summer with this older sister, Tara, and their grandfather on Arranmore, an island that has been known to make people disappear, and seems to be restless again.
A collection of ten classic fairy tales, reimagined with fresh perspectives and unexpected twists, giving glimpses into happily, and not as happily, ever afters.
Nine-year-old Rudi and his beloved dog Hanno escape from Nazi Germany, but Rudi soon learns he’ll have to protect Hanno from an entirely new threat in this thrilling reimagining of a little known World War II event.